“20 million pilgrims visiting Karbala terrifies the West”

At the end of his Ba’th al-Kharij (advanced class) in jurisprudence at Qom’s Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah, Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani issued a message to religious scholars, stating that the work of scholars is not limited to speaking about prophetic narrations only, but they have to address the injustice and tyranny occurring in the world and stand against the arrogant powers.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stated that Imam Ali spent 25 years in his home as a group of people did not accept his divinely ordained rights. Then people realized their ugly actions and their oppression of his legitimate rights and elected him as the caliph, and only from this, he gained legitimacy.

The revered source of emulation said that the Holy Quran is a spring of the hearts, especially for scholars. He added that contemplation and reflection on the Holy Quran is important and that the depth of the content of this heavenly revealed scripture yields vast amounts of knowledge which can overwhelm oneself.

In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stressed that the Western media had acknowledged that the Arba’in pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn in Karbala poses a significant threat to the West and amazes the entire world. He stated that nowhere else throughout history have we ever witnessed about twenty million pilgrims in one place. This is equivalent to five times the number of those who attend the hajj pilgrimage and also greater than the Kumbh Mela, a large Hindu pilgrimage in India.

“This pilgrimage demonstrates the power of Islam, as millions of people are heading to visit Karbala with their hearts full of love and adoration for Imam Husayn. Despite the known dangers and threats, they still travel towards Karbala and fill the shrines. We must realize the power this pilgrimage has” Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stated.

Note: The Arba’in pilgimage, which commemorates the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, members of his family and his companions, is seen as significant because of the weakness of Iraq’s infrastructure and the poverty of the Iraqi people. Despite these odds, they are still able to provide for the pilgrims without government aid, whereas Saudi Arabia can barely provide for the two or so million hajj pilgrims!